Book of the Shadows, First Sun Saga, Rahzel Dahzel
by DaCosta Rosencraft
Summary: With the assassination of its emperor, Britannia must chart its path forward under a new monarch. That monarch will have to deal with the smoldering embers of rebellion on earth and in space, or watch as their empire, and their family, burns away. What role will Ange Ushiromiya, at arms length to this all, play in the coming reformation?
1. Foreword

Foreword

This is the beginning of a new story. I'm a little hesitant to use that term "new" since the idea for the forthcoming story, and likewise the initial fragments of story, began three years ago. This story is an intriguing one for me. It's very big and complicated, the only story since my original Book of the Shadows, the First Moon Saga, to be as large and complex. It is important for me to note that while this is the third saga – specifically the First Sun Saga – thematically and structurally, there are six other sagas, and a few minor sagas, I have done at least some work on to this point.

The Third Sun Saga has a very large cast of characters. Despite all the multiple-personality affects that exist in the First Moon Saga, this saga likely will finish with more characters. Comparatively there is a lot less of that multiple personality concept within the story itself, but from an outsider, a sort of meta view, the framework of characters by their names and descriptions is an important note of understanding, both from the First Moon Saga and in future stories.

This saga strives to take on some of the themes from First Moon with a more direct line of thinking. One such theme is the split between good and evil. That is a major theme I, and virtually all writers, work with throughout my stories; what is good, what is evil, where are the lines, and is there any grey area. Part-in-parcel to that is the concept of corruption; can good be turned evil, and on the other hand can evil be turned to good, and how does that happen?

As I said, this story is rather expansive and involves numerous characters. Not many of these characters are long-term presences in the story, though that doesn't necessarily indicate a rise in death toll. Something I still feel I struggle with as a writer is killing off characters.

Undoubtedly I know that the death of a character can be a powerful tool within the framework of a broader story. It often serves as an inflection point and motivating factor for other characters. This obviously only works with characters that have some resonance with the audience, so it's not going to work too well if you simply pull out a random character and say they're dead just for the sake of saying you killed off a character. It is worth pointing out that this perception of not killing off enough characters is simply based on my own assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of my storytelling relative to other works I've read or seen. I certainly don't want to end up like some writers who kill off everyone in the story left and right, leaving only a main character or two. I am simply thinking of this in the construct of elements of a good story.

Alas, I don't know that within the constructs of this particular story I have found an answer to that particular question. What I can say for certain, however, is that one of the crutches that made the question of death somewhat muted in First Moon was the interplay that I had with the afterlife. From early on it was made apparent and clear that the Rosencraft could have some interaction with the afterlife almost at will. They could be visited by those individuals, and even in one case use their powers to visit the afterlife (see Orihime Rescue arc). As I progressed through Advancing Shadows I tried to implement restrictions in the form of basic rules, but found myself violating those. In Nocturne of the Shadows I again implemented rules, and accentuated those rules with the conflict and acrimony that existed between the Rosencraft and the ones who more or less controlled the afterlife. However, that did not change the mental dynamic that no one really died, they just left the story for a bit. As such, as much impact the main branch generation Rosencraft family's death may have had at the end of A.S, there was already the embedded thought that they wouldn't be gone forever.

Of course, there is a very dynamic component to the inclusion of the afterlife. Indeed, it would be a very different story for First Moon if not for the way in which there was competition and cooperation with the representatives of the afterlife.

In any event, there will be no, or I should say virtually no, direct interaction with the afterlife. Certainly there will not be the kind of ever-presence Spirit World had in First Moon. At this point I don't even know the mechanics of death within First Sun; what happens when someone dies? So that will be something to keep in mind going forward; I don't engage with the afterlife directly within this story.

As is to be expected at least one of the Two-Six will make an appearance at some point during the saga, though I won't confirm who or when here. I will confirm that Anzushiro will make a relatively brief cameo appearance at one point, but that certainly will not be in this first book of the saga.

It is not known with a certainty at this very moment the timing of this story relative to the events in First Moon. At the very least it is after the initial BotS as Anzushiro will have occasion to mention her daughter, Destiny. At the same time, nothing in that part of the story (which I mind you also takes place post this book) indicates just how old Destiny is directly. One allusion indicates that Destiny has gone back and forth with the use of jewel-based magic. I do note in Nocturne, when we first see Destiny use jewel magic, that she only began using it because of the non-native magic use restrictions. I don't know if I am going to change either instance, but assuming they remain the same that would indicate that First Sun takes place sometime post Nocturne and pre Overture Saga.

Overture is the last saga in the entire Book of the Shadows series, or at least that is the tact I'm taking with it right now. It does contain its own story, but that story is predominantly a vehicle by which to bring together all of the Two-Six. I haven't yet figured out a lot of details for that story, although I have made tons of progress on the main story and may start compiling it all soon. For instance, I don't know how long after Nocturne it actually is. And though I plan on having all of the Two-Six show up in that story, so far I've only managed a pathway for three of the twelve, possibly four. Just based on connections with prior stories I may manage five; clearly that isn't twelve.

But that is for another time. Right now this is the beginning of the First Sun Saga. This first book in the series is entitled Rahzel Dahzel. I hope that you enjoy it!

DaCosta Rosencraft

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

4:12 PM


	2. Chapter 1 - Long Live the King

Chapter 1: Long Live the King

The sun beamed its rays across the city in the early morning, rising up to signal the start of a new day. It was the time for adults to get up and ready for work, and for youngsters to start getting set for another day of school on this late summer day. Few people in such positions, however, spend much time gazing at the sunrise. They have other concerns to get to, or in the case of some are stubbornly still sleeping despite the hour.

This young woman fell into that latter category. Though her bed rest in the direct line of sight of the sun through the window, and as per her roommate's preference the curtains were relatively sheer, she ignored the sunlight beating down on her. She wasn't a lazy person by any means, but she simply didn't have the energy or will to rise this given morning.

"Lady Ange, you need to wake up otherwise you won't have enough time for breakfast," the young woman's maid stressed, trying to rouse her.

The young woman who served as the maid had short blonde hair with a very short pony tail. She dressed in all black; a black blouse with a black tie, wearing black slacks and black shoes. She looked down at her master sternly, shaking her.

"Lady Ange, please get up right away,"

"You couldn't just let me stay asleep, Alturia?" the young woman asked, pulling the covers down from over her head as she sat up.

"You've already slept passed the scheduled time. Any longer and you'll have to miss breakfast,"

"So useless…" the young woman grumbled, willing herself up out of bed.

With very limited energy or enthusiasm, the young woman, Ange, got out of bed. She fussed her red locks, yawning widely. As she walked to the bathroom, rubbing her blue eyes, she looked more like someone begging to go back to sleep than someone who just woke up.

With Alturia's help, Ange made it through the morning routine. By the time she had her school uniform on Ange seemed to fully wake up. With Alturia escorting her they left the room they shared and went down to the breakfast hall.

The duo lived in a dorm facility at this school. A highly prestigious, private institution, most of the students of this school lived in these gender-divided dorms. The maid did not come with the room, though considering the cost of tuition to attend this school, a complimentary maid did not sound like a stretch. Most residents lived in twin room suites alongside their maids that came with them from home. Although less common there are some who elect not to bring along a maid and instead share their rooms with other students.

The dorms were relatively strict per the rules of curfew, but in all other regards were relatively lenient. Breakfast and dinner were a-la-carte menus every day except on special occasions such as holidays. Lunch generally wasn't served except on weekends and school holidays, and followed a similar a-la-carte style setting. Of course if one so wanted they could special order something from the kitchen and have it specially prepared. The kitchen staff were all renowned chefs.

It was a short walk to the academic buildings from the dorms to the school, Taiyou Private Academy. Established under the philanthropic Ashford Foundation, created by the noble Ashford family of Britannia, it is the preeminent school in Japan, arguably the world. Consisting of both a middle school and high school division, it is home to a moderate number of students. There was even talk of adding on an elementary school wing soon. Due to the cost of attendance, these are almost entirely very wealthy individuals, or people who poses some advanced level of influence. Every student you asked likely would answer that their mother or father was an international business executive, a politician, or some permutation of those. There are several means-tested scholarships that are awarded each year by the Ashford Foundation, allowing for complete coverage of tuition. As residency on campus is mandatory, the cost of a room in the dorms is part of tuition.

Nevertheless all that spending leads to an opulent campus which houses, aside from the aforementioned dorms, three different religious buildings, a state of the art professional swim facility, two high-tech science labs, one of which is equipped for advanced engineering, an expansive library, and numerous other perks.

There were a special, select, few individuals who despite their family's name, wealth, or power, and without need to pursue a scholarship, attended this school free of charge. There are clichés such as crème-de-la-crème that could be applied to these individuals. Simply put they were individuals whose family's political or economic or social status was that significant that their attendance was a net value in of itself. Ange was one such person.

"Morning Ange, Alturia," another student greeted as Ange was passing through the courtyard. She had shoulder length blonde hair with a slight curl and light blue eyes. She seemed a lot more energetic than Ange this morning, but it was her outfit that was the most eye-popping. She was wearing a black leotard-like piece with pink fur fringe, similar thigh-high stockings, fake cat ears, and a fake cat tail.

"W-what the hell are you wearing?" Ange asked, considering if it might not have been better to have continued walking as if not hearing her name called.

"It's S-E-R-V-I-C-E!" the young woman exclaimed. "I'm just trying to get everyone excited for this afternoon's festivities,"

"I think the excitement you're causing is usually illegal," Ange sardonically remarked.

"Won't you join us? Or at least let Alturia join in? We still have a lion costume I think would be perfect for her,"

"You scare me sometimes, you know that?" Ange replied, having briefly imagined the idea. "What're the others doing? Don't tell me you…"

"Pres, it's no good," a young man said running up to the woman in the cat costume, out of breath. He had somewhat shaggy blue hair and grey eyes. He was in theory in costume as well, though that seemed to only go so far as wearing a pair of fake animal ears with the normal school uniform.

"We can't seem to find them," he added, wheezing to catch his breath a little.

"Geez, Yomi's one thing, but to not be able to find Lelouch…" the woman said, biting her thumb as she thought things over. "Have you talked to Nunnally?"

"She said he left early this morning,"

"Looks like I'll have to come up with something else," she pondered as she started walking in the direction of one of the school buildings. The young man who had showed up waved to Ange and Alturia, following beside the woman.

Although every school has a headmaster, and this school was no different, the real master of this school was this woman, Milly Ashford. Her grandfather, Ruben, was the headmaster and founder of the school, but it was Milly who controlled the school in effect from her position as Student Council President. Boisterous, energetic, and friendly, she knew virtually everyone in the school, which was not always a good thing. She loves more than anything to have fun and put on a good time for others. As such there were plenty of school festivals, sometimes for no other reason than there hadn't been one in more than three weeks. With her family's name on the checks that pays for everything, she had more than enough freedom to do so. She has known Lelouch for a very long time, and does very much like him, but has stifled her own feelings.

The guy who came running to her was a member of the Student Council, Rivalz Cardemonde. Slightly younger than Milly, he was almost always nearby to her, fulfilling whatever tasks she needed done for her student council activities. It would seem quite obvious he has a serious crush on Milly, but he is too cautious of admitting it to her and has settled for simply being near to her for now. He was also good friends with the Lelouch guy they were looking for. The two often hung out together.

Ange could only imagine that Milly had plans for dressing up Lelouch in some kind of costume, likely much more than Rivalz's but, at least hopefully, not the same as her own. Thinking about the rest of the student council Ange could already imagine they were all likely forced into some kind of costume by now.

Ange had honestly forgotten that today was the day of another of the school festivals. They'd have morning classes, and the afternoon would be open to a number of different events and activities all around campus.

She was passing through the halls of the academic building, waving to the students in the halls who were greeting her as she went. A young man with short, dark blue, hair was walking her direction. His head was down as he was reading a book.

"Yomi, I'm surprised you're here," Ange said to him.

"Oh, hey Ange, Alturia. I just saw Battler a little bit ago,"

"Never mind that. Did you know Milly is looking for you?"

"She's sure a troublesome president," he chuckled. "Those outfits she's had Shirley and everyone wear are quite something,"

"Is that what that fool is doing?"

"Battler? You'll let me off with no comment?" he chuckled again.

"How about your twin?"

"I saw Nunnally. She asked me virtually the same thing. He was with someone, an outsider I think. She wasn't wearing a uniform,"

"Did you…"

"You think I've seen any of the council members?"

"I guess not,"

"Don't worry, I know all about it, so I'm not gonna get him in trouble,"

"Well, I'll just let you know Milly's probably planning something to get you two,"

"She's got too much energy sometimes," he sighed, walking on. "I'll pay attention,"

"Attention all students," an announcement began playing over the broadcast system. "This is your Student Council President, Milly Ashford. This is a special announcement. Even though it's a little early, I've decided to start today's festivities with a little game. Here are the rules; all students must attend all of their scheduled classes today. However, the person who manages to deliver Lelouch vi Britannia and/or Yomi Rosencraft to the Student Council offices by the opening of this afternoon's festival, will be given a special reward; a kiss from one member of the student council,"

"So useless…" Ange sighed.

"See ya later, Ange," Yomi said, opening a nearby window. He jumped out. Ange walked over to take a look outside, there already being lots of noise from students in an excited state. Yomi was off and running, presumably to evade capture until classes were about to start, or in a worse case until the time limit was up at two in the afternoon.

"Are you going to get involved?" Alturia asked.

"Are you kidding? Even forgetting trying to catch up to Yomi, Lelouch is probably smart enough not to get anywhere near the school building. He'll probably ditch like usual,"

"Are you not concerned about the woman who is with him?" Altruia continued to question as Ange continued on to her classroom

"Security around here is so tight I doubt someone dangerous would make it in. His family probably sent a young maid again,"

"He's sent all the others back, correct? Do you happen to know why?"

"Not exactly. Apparently he doesn't much care one way or the other about having one, but his mother seems to object to having him served by a woman,"

"Is it what you describe as being overprotective?"

"I wouldn't begin to know. I've never been able to understand those Britannians much anyway,"

"Isn't your mother visiting Britannia right now?"

"It was just a two day trip. Aunt Rini asked her about some thing or another,"

"Do you and Battler not plan to see her before she returns home?"

"No. The big family meeting at Rokkenjima is coming up, although I'm planning to skip that too. Battler's kinda looking forward to that since he hasn't seen everyone in a while, but I'm not all that interested,"

"Very well then. I will return when your classes end,"

"Alright,"

Ange went ahead into her class. She didn't share a class with Lelouch or Yomi, but the news had spread quickly around campus that neither had been captured. By Milly's rules it was a relatively simple thing to plan for. It was impossible to make it from the academic building, to the Student Council building, to the council's offices on the second floor, and back to class in the brief time between classes. That meant that it was simply going to be a mad dash after classes were done for the day, about one o'clock, and everyone with an interest in the challenge would run about the campus.

Ange knew both gentleman relatively well. It basically came with the territory based on who her family was. It was a natural consequence for many at this school. It wasn't so much that no one knew who Lelouch and Yomi were, that would be very difficult; Ange was just a little closer with them than most.

She had said she wasn't curious about the person Yomi spotted with Lelouch, but it kept coming to mind throughout the day, tickling her curiosity. She decided that she would simply put her curiosity to rest and find out from him who the person was.

It wasn't hard for her to find Lelouch. She knew his way of thinking, and that made it relatively easy to determine his planning. They'd played chess together a few times. He was a bold thinker, capable of taking both dynamic and risky actions in equal measures at the opportune time. He was the type to move the king out onto the chessboard rather than trying to protect it at the back of the board.

What did that mean for her finding him? The easiest means of keeping anyone from finding you is either blending into a crowd, or, rather obviously, hide somewhere no one will think to look for you. The way Ange figured it, Lelouch, who was not very athletic in the least, and possibly with someone with him, likely waited it out for classes to start that morning once he heard the broadcast around campus. Then, he would carefully navigate his way to a more permanent place to wait until Milly's deadline passed. With everyone running about the school looking for him, there was little point in those pursuers going to the Student Council building since that would likely mean someone completed Milly's challenge.

"Oh, what are you doing here, Nunnally?" Ange asked, spotting the young girl by the stairs inside the building.

"Oh, hi Ange. How are you?"

"Fine. Did you come here right from the middle school section?"

"Yes. I promised I would help Milly and everyone with the festival today,"

"Is Lelouch hiding upstairs?"

"Are you chasing big brother too?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to him a bit, maybe tease him some,"

"You're so mean, Ange," Nunnally laughed. "Please don't tell anyone I told you he was here,"

"Don't worry," Ange said, gently tapping Nunnally atop her head as she headed up stairs.

Naturally if she knew Lelouch, Ange would also know his younger sister, Nunnally. She didn't know all of his siblings – she had neither the interest nor the patience for that – but Nunnally lived with him and attended this school with him, though she was in the middle school division being that she was three years younger than Lelouch.

Nunnally is the younger sister of Lelouch, and his only blood sibling. Their Britannia family consists of many step-siblings. As a consequence, Nunnally, who was among the youngest, and who was born more frail, was far from even her brother in terms of potential ascension to the throne. She was an active young girl with lengthy, sandy brown hair and violet colored eyes. She was never really sickly, per se, but by way of her slight build and gentle features always seemed to be quite fragile. It was the sort of thing where one, if caring anything for her, would be overly careful about what they say to her, or if wanting to be cruel would try to be crass so as to frighten her. This image of her is bolstered by the attentiveness that Lelouch pays to her, doting on her and always quick to jump to her aide or defense even if she may not necessarily need it. This masks the fact that she is quite intelligent, clever, and strong willed. Despite being in the middle school division she often, like today, was a volunteer with the student council, and was pegged as a likely lead candidate once she did advance to high school.

Lelouch vi Britannia is one of the many prince's of the emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia. His mother is the Imperial Consort, Marianne vi Britannia. Britannia, being the largest and most powerful nation in the world, it was easy to imagine then that there were few people who didn't know at least by name who Lelouch vi Britannia was.

His life was not unlike what one might expect of a prince. His family's wealth and power afforded him pretty much anything he wanted. He could spend his vacations at virtually any corner of the world he desired, or even out in space. Here at Taiyou he was a venerable rock star as one who had a chance of assuming the throne after his father. It made him quite popular, even more so among those women who would hope to court him as a means of bolstering their family's position in the world.

He didn't care much for those things though. It's not as though he had no aspirations for the throne, or wholly disliked the idea of women fawning over him even for shallow reasons, but he didn't much like his family. He did love his sister Nunnally, and his mother. He had at least one step-sister whom he was quite fond of as well. But in general much of his other step-siblings, and his homeland in general, infuriated him. He was strongly opposed to many of their political ideals, in particular the policies around the disparity in wealth; an ideal his father saw as a motivator for strengthening of character and of the human race, not as a social ill to be mediated. It was because of policies like that his mother Marianne was often viewed negatively in the public.

As a commoner by birth, Marianne Lamperouge was not at all born to the upper echelons of society or guaranteed any fast-track to wealth or success. In joining the military and becoming a test pilot on the first mobile suit weapon systems for Britannia, she managed to distinguish herself. To this day she is regarded as having been possibly the greatest pilot of mobile suits. It was through this that she caught Charles zi Britannia's eye and he eventually married her as one of his several consorts.

Many consider Marianne, if nothing else, a highly devoted mother to her children. She is infamous for her threats to other nobles when she has perceived them to be harsh or rude to Lelouch and Nunnally. Such stories tapered off as the children grew older, though that is as likely to be out of Marianne's influence as due to anything that changed about Lelouch or Nunnally. When Lelouch and Nunnally were to begin attending Taiyou Academy, Marianne had built a villa, similar to the one she has back in the homeland, near to the school. She wanted to be able to spend time and visit her children more easily than flying the distance from Japan to Britannia back and forth.

When Ange and Nunnally were a few steps from the door to the room where Lelouch was, there was a loud noise from inside like someone falling down. Ange opened the door. The first thing she heard was a popping sound, like a cork on a wine bottle. The next moment she felt what she initially thought to be water spill down on her.

"Sorry about that," Lelouch apologized from outside the door to the bathroom while Ange was taking a shower. "Alturia said she'd be right back with a change of clothes for you,"

"I didn't know there was a shower in the student council building," Ange replied.

"Despite Milly's best efforts you've constantly refused to join, and you've even avoided coming here, so it's not surprising. I find it hard to believe you came here for her game,"

"Who was the woman?" she asked directly.

"You came here for that?" he asked, a little amazed at the idea she surrendered her usual aloofness over this.

"Yomi told me he saw you with an outsider. Considering your mother sends away any maid sent to you one would think that the practice would stop by now. And even if they were to send you a new maid yet again, I doubt they'd have her show up in regular clothes first thing in the morning. So, I didn't really care at first, but the curiosity got to me, so I decided to check it out. So, who is she?"

"Would someone normally think about a random event so much?"

"You should know attempting to dodge the question is only gonna make me more curious,"

"I'll tell you about it later. Either way I can't leave her alone too long," he answered, walking away to rejoin his guest.

"Even though I've pretty much figure it out now," Ange quietly sighed. "So useless,"

After washing the champagne from her hair and changing her liquor soaked clothes, she and Alturia walked back downstairs. There was some talking there, obviously a number more people talking together.

The student council was one of several clubs on this sprawling campus to be given its own building. Ange had only been in this building a couple times to date, so she didn't know it inside and out. It was a three-story building, putting it in line with most of the other buildings around. The first floor was open to the public at leisure and consisted of a grand foyer area with stairs at the left and right walls that took you to the second floor. There were a couple office or conference rooms down here, and plenty of space for hosting large receptions and parties. The second floor, as mentioned earlier, hosts the main council offices and conference room. The large conference room, about the size of a classroom, was where the council meetings and much of the work took place the offices were for individual work and storage. Above there on the third floor was what amounted to a residential area. There were a couple bedrooms, a full bathroom, even a kitchen.

The second and third floors were off limits to all but the student council members, and the unoccupied residential area was in general off limits except by Milly's say-so, although Lelouch managed to get a copy of the key and thereby allowed Ange in to get cleaned up after the earlier accident.

As she and Alturia came down the stairs, Ange could see Lelouch kneeling on the floor, his hands bound. His sister and the unidentified stranger were standing off to one side, seeming a little bit tentative.

The stranger was a woman only a couple inches shorter than Lelouch. She had very long pink hair flowing out beneath a ball cap, and was wearing sunglasses with an orange tint to them. The yellow dress she was wearing with a white frill was so far from a maid uniform the thought that there was any chance this person was a maid had to have been almost entirely based on expectations of the past repeating. Seeing the person better now – Ange didn't get a good look before since her eyes had champagne in them – she had a chance to think about it some more.

The elimination of maid as a possible answer made things clear for Ange. The disguise wasn't terribly great, but it was passable under the circumstances. Most people probably would have seen through the disguise if not for the fact that they wouldn't have expected at all for that person to do something like sneak into the school, not forgetting the thought that it was to be difficult for someone to even sneak into this school. Pulling together those facts – a young woman with long pink hair entering the secure academy under unknown or secret circumstances to meet with Lelouch – Ange knew of only one person who would be able to meet these criteria.

Even so, it seemed like the rest of the student council had yet to realize, as they surely wouldn't be teasing and taunting Lelouch the way they were if they did. Aside from Milly and Rivalz, there were three more women in relatively the same costume as Milly.

There was a mousy looking girl with large, round glasses who stood back a little bit. She had dark green hair tied in a pair of side braids and purple eyes. Her name was Nina Einstein. She is exceptionally smart, but can be apt to backing down to others who are assertive. It was how she ended up moving her talents from the engineering club over to the student council, pressured to do so by Milly. She knows a lot about science, technology, and mathematics, and is routinely at the top of the school in each category. She has even been contracted on a couple occasions with Britannia on small projects. There is a rumor than they have already cleared a position for her upon her graduation. However, she tends to lack much skill is social situations, not knowing what to talk about or how to converse with others. Her family is relatively well off, but still far from being able to afford this school. She is attending on scholarship.

Lecturing Lelouch the most was Shirley Fenette. She has orange hair and olive colored eyes. It was no secret except to Lelouch that she was in love with him. Her father is a bureaucrat in the Britannia government, which takes him all over the world rather frequently. Nevertheless she speaks to him almost daily. She is an ace member of the swim team, and to her ire tends to be the target of Milly's attention for a lot of Milly's perverted antics. In fact it was likely the entire reason everyone was dressing up in sexy cat costumes was because Milly wanted an excuse to make Shirley wear it – and embarrass Lelouch a little of course. In general Shirley is good at get along with people she's only met for the first time. Her chastising Lelouch right now, however, was over his hiding an outsider in the student council building.

The last one is a red-head with blue eyes named Kallen Stadtfeld. Her father is an aristocrat of moderate fame. She has not been at the academy for very long but is relatively well known and well liked. She too tends to regularly land at or near the tops in grades at the school, but similar to Nina she isn't known for being particularly social. This is because she tends to miss a lot of school due to apparent health problems. Thus, while she is approachable and affable, it becomes difficult to get to know her because she is so often separated. A lot of the physical activities that others might otherwise be involved in are off limits to her because she is so frail. That is specifically the reason why she was chosen for the student council by Milly, one of the few clubs in the school that did not require lots of physical activity. She was chiming in with Shirley's chastising of Lelouch, mostly because she didn't want him getting away with skipping out on the costume event Milly was forcing on the rest of them.

"Ms. President," Ange interrupted.

"Ange? You were here too?" Milly asked, confirming for Ange that they hadn't gotten around to asking anything of Lelouch.

"I was just thinking of a suggestion. Being that Lelouch is already here, why not end this game now? It's unlikely anyone will catch Yomi at this point anyway,"

"Well, you do have a point about Yomi…" Shirley agreed.

"There are only ten minutes until the opening for the festival," Nina pointed out.

"I suppose you want to be declared the winner? I had no idea you were so interested in Lelouch," Milly teased. Kallen and Shirley both gasped slightly, their gazes setting over to Ange.

"No, I was thinking we would use our guest to improve the entertainment value of the festival; a little something to raise everyone's spirits a little more,"

"You're being unusually helpful," Milly noted with skepticism.

"Well, I only came here out of curiosity, but now I need those two to repay me for the inconvenience they caused,"

"Hey, cut it out," Lelouch protested a little, trying to play it off mildly to avoid raising any further suspicion. Ange was well aware of that and was intent to not let it go that way.

"What did you have in mind?" Milly asked.

"Since our guest is the one who caused Lelouch to be here, I think she deserves to be named the winner. Those were the rules, correct? Anyone who can bring Lelouch here would be named the winner. Since you didn't stipulate that it had to be a student, that should be fine too,"

"Okay, okay," Milly nodded, finding no cause to refute the assertion.

"But, I can understand why some students might not be happy with that judgment, so rather than allowing her to receive a kiss from Lelouch, I think she should get a kiss from Nunnally,"

Everyone turned their attention to Ange, wondering what reason she came up with such an odd idea. From the way she was describing it one would think she was quite proud of her idea. At the moment it only seemed an odd idea, and likely one that would fail to achieve the sort of big excitement Milly was hoping for.

"Hmm… That doesn't sound too bad…" Milly pondered with clearly mixed feelings.

"H-hold on, what are you planning to have them do?" Lelouch questioned angrily, wary of any plan involving his sister with this bunch here.

"Don't worry, it's nothing perverted like Milly would do," Ange defended her plan. "Just a little peck on the cheek is all. And you'll be on stage to help introduce them, so you can prevent anything from going wrong,"

"Well, we do have Lelouch now, so just having him in costume is good enough," Milly determined. "Anything else is really just a bonus. And it's true that if we don't go with Ange's plan then the contest will end without anyone becoming a winner. I was thinking even before that it wouldn't be much fun to end the contest without a winner, so this does help out a lot. We'll go with Ange's plan. Is that fine with you, Lelouch,"

"If it's just that," he reluctantly agreed.

"How about you, Nunnally and… you know, we don't even know who you are?" Milly chuckled, having finally arrived at the obvious issue.

"If I may, Milly, I want to keep that last part a secret for now. It's part of my plan. In fact, would it be alright for me to borrow her until it's time,"

"Sure, sure, we have to get Lelouch ready anyway," Milly happily stated. "And Nunnally, don't forget you still have that special thing to do for us,"

"R-Right," she answered back a little bashfully.

"Alturia," Ange requested.

"As you wish," Alturia replied, walking over to the guest and outstretching her hand. "If you would please entertain Lady Ange's whims for a bit,"

"Umm…" the young woman didn't look to be certain what to do, looking towards Nunnally. With a smile Nunnally reassured the young woman, and she was escorted back upstairs by Alturia, Ange soon following behind.

"Sorry, but I figured this was the best way of handling things," Ange said as Alturia was helping the young woman change clothes. "It was inevitable that your identity would come out at this point, and Milly would have surely made you and Lelouch kiss in front of everyone out there, and that would really have caused problems,"

"Would it be bad that Lelouch kissed me?" she asked.

"Look, I don't really want to know what weird things you might be thinking, but it would be a total mess here if the president's plans went through. I can't say I care what you two do in your private time, but the incessant chatter about this place that would result wouldn't diminish for weeks,"

"I see. I didn't realize,"

"Don't worry about it. Bored rich people get engrossed in idle chatter, so I can't blame you entirely,"

"You're a very interesting person," the young woman said with a light chuckle.

"For you to even be here like this I can say the same about you. You Britannians are so hard to understand sometimes,"

"Do you hate Britannia?"

"Not really. I have plenty of fun playing chess with Lelouch, and Nunnally is adorable too. Milly's a bit too hyperactive for my tastes, but it's never boring with her. In general I actually like most of the Britannians I've met. Your nation's ideals and policies aside, Britannia is a nice enough place. I just mean as I said; your thinking tends of bewilder me sometimes,"

"You're not Britannian?"

"No. Anyway, it's about time, are you almost done Alturia?"

"Just a moment longer,"

"Alright. I'll check with Milly,"

With the stage set, the players made their way to their positions. Out in the main courtyard was the scene, risers set in place for the stage from which a concert was scheduled to begin near nightfall. The main event in the mid-afternoon was going to be a bid at a record for the largest single pizza pie, as facilitated by the use of a first generation Knightmare Frame kept by the by the Engineering Club. But before any of that was the opening ceremony.

The entire student council stood on the stage together, Lelouch made to stand up front beside Milly. His costume was quite embarrassing for him; tight pants, a tight shirt just about to his lowest rib, detached sleeves, all in leather, plus the cat ears, cat tail, and painted on whiskers that are supposed to make the cat costume. As to be expected there was a lot of hooting and hollering from the boys and girls alike, the boys over the ladies of the student council, the girls over Lelouch. Nunnally was standing up there too, her outfit, like Rivalz, consisting solely of the ears, tail, and painted whiskers.

"Hi everyone!" Milly exuberantly greeted. "Welcome to this Taiyou Academy festival! Is everyone ready to have a good time?"

"Yeah!" the crowd roared with approval.

"First things first," Milly continued on. "We must announce the winner of this morning's game. Unfortunately it seems that no one was able to catch Yomi, but that's okay because Lelouch is here with us,"

There was the eardrum bursting sound of dozens of young woman all screaming in excitement, easily drowning out the low grumbles of the male population lamenting their lack of such popularity. For some it was all just painful noise. Lelouch was in this latter camp, straining a smile while tentatively waving as he was expected to do, mortified he was even up on this stage dressed this way.

"Delivering the prize will be our adorable junior member of the student council, Nunnally vi Britannia!" Milly announced to another large roar from the crowd as Nunnally walked to center stage, waving to everyone. Even among the high school division Nunnally was very popular, more or less adopted by all of them as their own little sister.

"And, without further ado, here is the winner of the Lelouch/Yomi Hide and Seek challenge!"

On cue the guest walked out to accept her reward. She was changed out of her prior outfit and into an outfit to fit the prevailing cat theme. Her costume was considerably more modest than the student council ladies, but still quite alluring. She wore a knee length white one-piece dress borrowed from Ange that was a little tight around her chest. Her cat's tail and cat's ears were white, instead of the black of the others.

Most importantly, however, was the identity of the young woman. As Ange thought, it was hard for people to imagine this person was liable to be a young woman who would sneak onto the school grounds in such a simplistic and not particularly convincing disguise. Take off the shades, remove the hat, and it became fairly obvious who the woman was.

As she walked across the stage the crowd fell quiet at first, a sense of disbelief at who it was stunning them from making any noise. Once she approached center stage beside Nunnally, the two looking at one another and smiling, a loud, thunderous applause and cheer.

The student council, save Lelouch, had frightful looks of panic on their faces. They really hadn't put a whole lot of thought into who it was that was with Lelouch when they found him, and subsequently went along with Ange's idea of letting her handle the guest's preparation for getting on stage, therefore not seeing her until this moment. For Milly who would have to take full responsibility as the student council president, it was particularly worrisome that she had no opportunity to make any sort of preparations or provisions, left now to only hope nothing went wrong.

The young woman who came to see Lelouch, whom her and his sister Nunnally both knew personally, and whose presence evoked such pronounced reaction, was Euphemia li Britannia, third princess of the Britannian Royal Family, and currently in the top five in line for the throne, based on what metric and by whose estimation you were relying on. She was Lelouch and Nunnally's step-sister, their closest step-sibling. She was known the world over for being a rather kind and gentle person, much like Nunnally.

She was perhaps more well known for her elder blood sister, Cornelia, a top general of the Britannian military. Cornelia li Britannia has always been known to be the doting big sister type. She will always be there to defend or protect her sister, somewhat similar to the perceived acuity that Marianne is alleged to defend her children. One would not be surprised then to find that Marianne is one of the people Cornelia admires most in the world, though that has more to do with Marianne's military service.

It was no wonder that Milly and the student council were in a bit of a fright at realizing Euphemia was here. If she were to be hurt, or slighted in any way, the consequences could prove quite dire. Put simply there wasn't enough security to handle the kind of security that would be expected for three members of the Britannia Royal Family, instead of just two.

Nevertheless, there was no choice but to manage. It was a rare event that would not happen again. Although the attention Euphemia was receiving, and a snafu with the Knightmare, put the kibosh on the record setting pizza pie attempt, other events were able to go about as planned with minimal change.

The evening concert was a lively event that started off with another big surprise. In some ways Euphemia's impromptu arrival at the school seemed like kismet once the concert began. Little was known about who the entertainment would be, the advertisements suggesting it was one of the music clubs. When the curtains were drawn back to the sound of a violin, the loud-pitched shriek of excited girls that was heard when Lelouch was introduced during the opening ceremony, everyone knew who it was.

Although he wasn't part of any music club, Yomi's violin play was well known. He often practiced in quiet spots like the on-campus lake front, or occasionally from the top of the student council building, a bit to Milly's annoyance since she couldn't figure out how he keeps getting up there – she thinks he got a key off her grandfather somehow.

The surprise of the concert however was not limited just Yomi's performance. The kismet of Euphemia and this concert was in who the real star of the concert was to be; Yomi's sister, Tsubaki Utau. She is a very popular idol known worldwide for her graceful and powerful singing voice. Her concerts are always sold out and she has had several number one albums. Being Yomi's sister she is of course thereby royalty.

Yomi Rosencraft is the son of Lynette and Yami Rosencraft. His mother Lynette rules the Rosencraft Empire that spreads out from the planet Nemesis. He is the First Prince, next in line to the throne. By some coincidence his general features are quite reminiscent of Lelouch's, to the point that many at the school jokingly call them twins. Yomi has red eyes and blue hair, both inherited from his mother.

Milly generally tries to get them together for events because of the strong appeal they draw with the fairer portion of the student body. However, Yomi is far more athletic than Lelouch who is not athletic at all. Yomi is considered the fastest runner in the school, and in general is very strong. His leap from the window in the hall earlier that day was an unconscious act the first time he did it and scared many on campus to death considering it was the second floor her leapt from. He's often done it while reading, one of his favored things to do, usually to the complaint of the faculty, staff, and occasionally the student council members who would just like him to stop scaring everyone.

Yomi has a younger sister named Rozelin. A mischievous and rambunctious sort, she and Milly had a very quick connection in their only meeting. Unlike Yomi she still lives on Nemesis and attends school there as well.

Last but not least is Tsubaki Utau – or rather, such is her stage name. Her real name is Yumi Camellia Evelyn Rosencraft. The youngest of the siblings, she is the Second Princess, third in line to the Nemesis throne. She doesn't attend school at all, instead receiving tutoring, as consequence of her life as an idol. She travels regularly for concerts and photo shoots on Nemesis, within its star system, as well as Earth and its space colonies.

She is known to be a diva, which is somewhat expected considering her idol status and royal status combined. However, she is also known to be relatively docile when near to Yomi. He would joke after the concert that he thought it would be Yumi who snuck into the school to see him before Euphemia sneaking in to see Lelouch.

Yumi's performances tend to appeal rather broadly due to the various styles she can freely use. Many of her studio albums have Yomi playing as a part of the band, but they rarely have concerts together, making her concert here a real special occasion. She is one of the few performers to mix the violin with more contemporary pop beats and vocals, replicating that style with other genres as well. Rumor has it that she only got into music because of Yomi in the first place.

At the end of the day the festival was a big success. The surprise of so many figures of imperial power from two separate kingdoms gathering in one spot on sheer coincidence and happenstance was something indescribable for many of the witnesses. It was something else to watch on and think that the two sets of imperial siblings who were chatting with one another and with the student council were likely to do so even years from now as the people leading the world in one fashion or another. Indeed, this school festival was going to go down in the school's folklore of incredible events.

But that was the limit. It would be only remembered in school folklore, and even there only tersely on way to other thoughts. As potentially memorable a day as it turned out to be, it alone was an afterthought.

Only four days after the festival, the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia, was assassinated. It immediately began a chain of events that would change the shape of the world. The three siblings, Lelouch, Nunnally, and Euphemia, who were together laughing and enjoying themselves that day at Taiyou Academy, would never again have the chance to enjoy such times together. The world insensitively moved on.


	3. Chapter 2 - Setting the Board

Chapter 2: Setting the Board

State funerals are awkward things. Funerals in general can be awkward things, but state funerals can be more than that. There is an inherent flaw in the ideal of how such an event is to be conducted, how one carries themselves at such an event. Finding the right words to say, when to say those words, how you dress, what you do before and after the funeral… there are any number of little things that become a piece of the stagecraft of a funeral.

With state funerals you add in the aspect of military demonstrations, celebrity speakers, and the basic fact that no matter how well known the person being laid to rest may be, for the vast majority of those who watch or attend the funeral, there is a distinctive lack of any relationship close enough to warrant being there to mourn.

The imagery is usually a wrapping of the deceased in a blanket of patriotism, a highlighting of their perceived accomplishments, and usually a generous touchup, if not complete whitewashing, of the failures and mistakes of that person's life. It is this idea of patriotism that perhaps explains the usual presentation of military might or regalia by way of 21-gun salutes and flyovers with military aircraft. Famous people come on stage to talk about what a great person the deceased was in their lifetime and how their death is a great and sad loss for the world, even as you sometimes wonder if the speaker even met the deceased more than a couple times for some innocuous reason.

When all is said and done, the deceased is laid to rest in a private ceremony, as if to tell the world that the event earlier was for their benefit, to be sure they had opportunity to pay their respects.

The same message is usually pushed out again and again – do not be sad, find strength in the deeds of the life of the deceased, and celebrate that life, not mourn their death. This is of course completely paradoxical. Anyone who would think for a moment that they would not at least be looked at funny for throwing a party and dancing on the day of a funeral is clearly a fool who will find themselves in very awkward company in social settings.

The choreography of personal decorum is even more cumbersome in the event the funeral is for someone who is almost universally reviled. Attempts to show kindness and sorrow come across very flat, as though the speaker is reading from a prepared script instead of speaking from the heart. The heaping of praise on them seems more callous than anything as it simply reminds of the great many things that causes them to be reviled. Yet by sheer fear of repercussions for doing otherwise, whether those repercussions are simply temporary alienation by acquaintances or as bad as some form of official retribution, often people submit to doing the bare minimum of standing somber, even if not able to muster tears.

Such is the case of the funeral of Charles zi Britannia. Charles zi Britannia is a man who has reigned in infamy. He knew this, embraced this, and tried to convince the world that it should as well. His ideals held that all people are born unequal, and that those who are birthed with gifts, with intelligence, and with ability, should use those attributes unfettered by considerations of issues such as efficacy and compassion. He viewed strength as the deciding factor in all things, and tried to instill that in all of his children by way of having them compete with one another.

He even held that the order of succession would be his decision based on who he thought to be best suited for it, not order of birth – his not-so-subtle way of saying his heir would be not a change from his path, but a continuation. Of course, this isn't so unusual. In monarchies, it is usually the case that the monarch hopes that one who succeeds them is as much their carbon copy as is feasibly possible. At any rate, it is why Lelouch could be in the top twenty in candidates for succession, and his sister only a few years younger barely cracked the top one hundred.

The state funeral for Charles zi Britannia was held three days after his death. It was broadcast all over the world and was made mandatory viewing in Britannia territory. All of the nobles affiliated with Britannia were present in the capitol that day, as were the official representatives of other governments such as the Scandinavian Republics, the various space colonies, and the Nemesis Empire. It was a funeral that did not see a lot of tears. Whether he was hated or loved, Charles would not have wanted to see tears. He thought them to be a sign of weakness, so he would have strangely found happiness in not having anyone cry for him at his funeral.

Funerals mark an end and a beginning for those left behind. It is the end of the times, for better or worse, spent with the one how has died. Charles was gone now, and so regardless of his legacy his chapter in the pages of history was over. That also meant, however, that another chapter was set to begin.

It didn't take long for thoughts to shift on the successor to the throne of Britannia. Several issues complicated the line of succession. First among those was his large bank of possible heirs. He was a man with multiple wives at the same time, each of which had at least one child. Even in this case were the normal rules of succession followed the eldest among those children would be the next in line for the throne, or Charles' own siblings were his children just far too young or otherwise unable to assume the duty.

As noted previously, he dismissed the idea of his successor being granted the throne solely on birth having not done anything to prove their superiority. It was a crude irony that the man who touted the idea that some were simply born better thought that the most time-honored continuation of the idea was the one he rejected. Having left no record of who he thought this person to be, the idea of basing the likely heir on those grounds became a tricky proposition. Who would determine what was in his head at the time?

There was then the issue of the fragmentation of the line of succession. For various reasons many of the leading candidates were no longer candidates at all. Cornelia was the second princess, but in assuming a role in the military, and at this time being a leading general, she was not considered eligible. In theory, she could have given up her military commission and asserted herself in the line of succession, but that would raise issues all its own.

Several of the leading princes as well as a few of the princesses further back than Euphemia were dead, having been victim to ailments or otherwise killed by assassination plots. Dark humor had been around before Charles' death that it wouldn't be long until the Britannia Royal Family was consumed by its own curse.

"Who do you think'll take the throne?" Shirley asked aloofly, staring up at the ceiling from her paperwork.

"What, you worried Lelouch'll stay in Britannia and not come back?" Milly teased.

"But he… might not, right," Nina asked.

"It is possible," Rivalz joined in. "I mean, he's got one older brother left, but from what I've heard he isn't exactly the type to run a country,"

"There's also his oldest sister Guinevere, and Euphemia too I guess," Milly noted.

"Not to mention other nobles too," Rivalz added. "There might be some who'd wanna take the throne since the emperor never named an official heir,"

"In that case, wouldn't Lelouch make the most sense?" Kallen pondered aloud, not looking up from her work.

"Hmm… that is true. He seems to have a pretty good shot at it, doesn't he? I guess it's hard to imagine after what we did to him the other day," Milly chuckled.

"You'll be lucky if you all don't get executed as his first matter of business," Ange taunted, sitting in a corner reading.

"He'll really…" Nina started to repeat, dropping her pen.

"Why would you even say that? Lelouch would never…" Shirley jumped to defense.

"That's good, then please stop worrying so much about what will happen," Ange replied.

"Ange has a point as usual," Milly sighed. "We're all anxious because we're worried Lelouch will change if he becomes emperor. You're telling us not to worry. But I'd be nice if you could find a better way of saying it,"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't worry, only that it's useless to sit here and think about it. I wasn't making a joke either. There are people like that… who let power go to their heads and go after petty vengeance. Either way, no one knows what will happen yet, so sitting here and thinking about it won't do anything. It's useless, totally useless. If you're really worried, talk to him. If you can't even do that, then don't worry about it because he'll do whatever he wants if he becomes emperor,"

"You really are a difficult one to deal with," Milly sighed again, throwing her hands up.

"All people are not equal. Those born fleet footed. Those born beautiful. Those born poor. Those born with weak bodies. Humans are not equal.

"What of the Eastern European Federation and its equality of rights? A den of leeches unable to live by themselves. What of the Asian Federation and their equality of wealth. Nothing but lazy dotards.

"Fight. Take. Posses. Control. Inequality is evil? No, it is equality itself that is evil. We grow through inequality and gain strength. It is evolution. The strong control and take from the weak, and thus the future grows. We must not seek equality,"

Alturia read this aloud later that evening while she was in the dorm with Ange. Ange was busy mulling over a homework assignment. She normally would have been done by now, but she couldn't get herself to focus. As usual Alturia was finding something to occupy herself with in that time.

"Might I ask what play this is from?" Alturia requested.

"A play… you say?" Ange asked, intentionally leaving a pause to highlight her little rhyming game. "What makes you think that way?"

"My Britannia was not something like this," Alturia stated firmly, tossing the paper to the side in slight anger.

"The issue is that this is not your Britannia we're talking about, it's Charles zi Britannia's. Well, it was his, and will be until the new monarch is decided,"

"This is the man was proselytized so upon his funeral?" she asked, seeming to get more upset.

"Calm down. There's no point getting worked up about it now he's dead. But yeah, that's how funerals go, you know? They tend to only talk about the good stuff about you, especially when you're that big and powerful. But what you read there was part of a speech he gave at the funeral of one of his sons,"

"This is not a speech befitting the loss of one's offspring. It is like a speech prepared for war,"

"That's 'cause it's all that he thought about. To him everything was about conflict, as you can see from that excerpt," Ange added, getting up and stretching. "But you know, I sometimes wonder if he really believed all that nonsense?"

"A king should always speak their honest thoughts and beliefs, otherwise those they lead will doubt their every move,"

"That's true, but a lie isn't a lie as long as everyone thinks it's the truth. That's how people like that get by. They sugarcoat their lies with just enough truth that people can't tell the difference. A clever liar is never known as a liar because no one ever figures out they've lied,"

"You believe he was such a man?"

"I've no idea," Ange sighed. "But it's hard to imagine that on some level someone like that had to realize whether or not they were lying to themselves. Liars know they're liars, but they're not likely to come out and admit it. That would inhibit their ability to lie. Even if he didn't believe all that nonsense, he couldn't say otherwise or else it'd jeopardize his right to rule. It's not like he could just come out and say he was a weakling and anyone could be emperor in his place. One way or another he had to at least keep up the illusion that he was somehow different and special, otherwise why have an emperor?"

"I always believed it was the duty of the king to show their people a grand image to aspire to. To be bold, virtuous, and beloved,"

"The problem is, despite how much a person might want to be all those things, it's hard to achieve those ideals. At some point the people will just give up trying and what was once adoration will become jealousy, and that'll turn into resentment,"

"Are you saying then that his way is correct?" Alturia challenged Ange.

"I wouldn't go that far. His way was simply a theory, executed under his guidance. Whoever comes next will either continue his experiment or come up with another one of their own. We're all pretty ignorant anyway. All we can do is experiment until we find an answer that makes sense. If the world wants to be ruled that way, that's all there is to it,"

"Don't you worry about it at all?"

"It's all totally useless. I don't really care about getting involved in politics and that sorta thing right now. It really is a pain,"

"I worry about your future, Lady Ange,"

"It's time to practice, let's go," Ange said as she opened up the windows to a stiff breeze blowing in.

"Very well. I've already prepared the location for you," Alturia stated, joining Ange at the window. She scooped Ange up as though she were a princess and leapt from the second story window, carrying Ange off to her late evening practice.

The next day, Ange was barely able to keep her eyes open through morning classes. By the last lesson before lunch she was sitting up with her eyes open, but her friends could tell she was asleep. She had frightened some of them with that before. They thought something was wrong with her, watching her stare off out the window as if looking at something but unresponsive to efforts at getting her attention. Then and now she always had the same story; she was up late studying. It was an excuse most were apt to believe since she was known to have very good grades, despite being half asleep through most of her classes about once a week.

"Man, you should cut that out. It's totally creepy," a young man said to her, tapping her on her head. She hadn't been fully asleep, so she heard him from the beginning.

"What do you want?" she asked curtly, seemingly annoyed by him.

"Hmm… it'd be nice if…"

"Say something perverted and I'll kill you," she cut him off.

"Hey, hey, it's not…" he started again, but stopped when she stomped on his foot.

"Get to the point already,"

"Jeez, you're such a brat," he sighed, wincing a little. "I've got a letter from your mom for you,"

"Mother?" she asked, suddenly devoting her full attention.

"I've got one too," he said softly. Ange's interest immediately dropped back off. She turned away with a small yawn and looked out the window again.

"I'll tell her myself sometime, but I'm not going,"

"You're gonna be stubborn about it?"

"That place is so stuffy and suffocating. It's the same thing every year… so useless… Anyway, I'm gonna stay here. I've got a lot of studying to catch up on,"

"Eh? Well, good luck selling that story, though I guess it's better than just saying you don't feel like coming," he waved as he started to walk away.

"Better than you who ran away," she jabbed. He staggered as though he had felt the knife striking his back.

"Alright, alright, sorry," he said with an exasperated sigh, heading along his way.

"Wait," she called after him. "Does that mean…"

"Probably," he answered without stopping.

The young man was Battler Ushiromiya. He is one year older than Ange, in the same class as Lelouch. His father is Rudolf Ushiromiya. A business man with a lot of ties to Britannia, he has a considerable bit of wealth of his own. However, the real wealth lies with the family name of Ushiromiya. One of the richest families in world, they started up from practically nothing after a large-scale natural disaster decades ago.

Battler is a relatively easy to spot young man due to his red hair. He can be stubborn and tends to be very flirtatious with virtually any woman he comes across, but he is also known to be serious and kind when need be. Ange knew him all her life, though as she sometimes tells it she would rather not. Even so they often come across one another in the school, and he usually passes along messages to her from her parents.

For that reason, the moment he mentioned that he received a letter as well, Ange knew the contents. With the events of the school festival and of the imminently changing leadership of Britannia, she forgot what time of year it was. Every year she and Battler received the same letter. Almost every year Ange ended up following what was written in that letter, though for the past few years Battler had not; the running away incident Ange referenced. It had already been determined prior to today that Battler would follow that forthcoming letter, but Ange had determined the exact opposite this year.

"Rokkenjima," Alturia stated affirmatively as she walked with Ange after classes were done for the day.

"Yeah, I completely forgot about it," Ange sighed, slightly yawning. She was being mindful of hiding it, but she was a bit sleepy, her in-class naps notwithstanding.

"Will you not attend this year?" Alturia asked, though she seemed to have already known the answer.

"I told Battler that my excuse would be studying, which isn't a total lie. I mean, I do think I've picked up on something lately, so I rather not waste time going all the way there for no real reason,"

"Were you not saying how eager you were to see your mother?"

"It doesn't really matter if I go to Rokkenjima or not. I'll still get to see her soon anyway. There's no way they'll let me skip out on the crowning ceremony,"

"Will it really be so soon?"

"You think it's quick?"

"Indeed, in my time expediency in crowning a new lord was important to dissuade severe conflict, but the scenario you expressed yesterday led me to believe it would take considerable time to settle such matters,"

"Sorry, didn't mean to mislead you or anything. It's probably like you said; finish it quickly before fighting gets going. To be honest I had no idea how long it would take. And even though I didn't give it a lot of thought, I figured the Rokkenjima thing would be put off for a bit. But if the get-together on Rokkenjima's called so suddenly, then it probably means a new leader for Britannia will be named pretty soon,"

"The inheritance must be decided, is what they're thinking then," Alturia pondered aloud.

"They probably have ideas about how to use it for the sake of positioning after the regime change," Ange stated, grumbling at the thought of it. "It's so useless. Battler has to go since he ran off for so long, but that just means mother and father won't press too much if I don't go as long as I at least come up with a plausible excuse,"

"Is that the reason you finally accepted President Milly's requests?"

"Ah, yeah. She's always pestering me to help out with the council, but I know she just likes trying to dig up secrets. Helping her a little lets me at least use her as an excuse, not to mention that later on I can start refusing again,"

"Your strategy is deceitful and lacks sophistication, but if I must abide it, then very well,"

"Yeah, well, I'm too tired to put any more real thought into it. Why don't we take it easy this evening? With the school break coming up, and since I won't be going off to the island, we can probably fit in more practice than usual…"

"Please be mindful of your limits. It does no good to push yourself to the point that you collapse,"

"I know, I know, you always remind me,"

As Ange predicted, the letter that she was set to receive was indeed from her mother and concerned a visit to Rokkenjima Island, an island owned by her grandfather on her father's side of the family. Another had already been delivered to her room, as well as an e-mail and a phone message. These weren't all from her mother. The e-mail was from her father, and the phone message was from her sort of de-facto guardian, her aunt Eva. With her parents away from the planet so frequently, Ange needed a guardian for various correspondence and so forth from the school. Her aunt Eva was the closest to her, geographically speaking, so that is how she wound up with the task.

For this matter notifying her aunt was all that sufficed. For something like the Rokkenjima meeting Eva wasn't likely to try to push Ange one way or another on attendance. For Eva, Ange only needed to let her know she received the message. Ange's real task would be convincing her mother and father to let her skip the meeting. For this Ange knew she would have a better time of speaking to her father first. He would be the hardest to convince, but if she could do it she was confident her mother wouldn't contest too much.

In just three days, at about one in the afternoon, Battler was rushing off the deck of the yacht, jubilance on his face he rarely ever showed. But it wasn't for finally arriving on Rokkenjima Island that he was happy. It was for being off the boat. Battler hated transportation in general, easily getting carsick and airsick, but especially seasick. Unfortunately for him the only way on or off the island was by boat. There wasn't space enough for a plane to land on the private island, and a helicopter was likewise impractical.

Rokkenjima Island is a private island owned by the head of the Ushiromiya family, Kinzo Ushiromiya. Sporting the symbol of a golden one-winged eagle, Kinzo built the family up from devastation following a natural disaster several decades ago. In what at the time were considered to be miracles, he took what was left of the ruined family and built it up even greater than before.

Kinzo has long been known to be a bit odd, an occult buff and more than a little eccentric. In his old age he's taken to locking himself in his study, never leaving even for meals. He has surrendered day-to-day operations with the family to his eldest son, Krauss, whose family lives with Kinzo on the island.

"You look really pathetic, Battler," a young woman with blonde hair teased.

This woman with the stinging welcome to the island is Battler's cousin, Jessica Ushiromiya. She is the daughter of the eldest child of the Ushiromiya household, Krauss Ushiromiya, and his wife Natsuhi. Jessica is in her final year of high school, which suits her just fine since that will give her the chance to finally live away from this island. Her brightness and enthusiasm is betrayed by her body, however, as she has asthma and therefore cannot be quite as active as she would hope.

Not far off behind Jessica is one of the island's servants, Kanon. He was a young man, a little younger than Battler or Jessica, with a dower and gloomy aura about him, his black hair framing his face and covering his forehead. Even here at what should have been a relatively joyous time he silently bowed to the guests arriving from his spot up in the garden a mere journey up a few steps from the docks.

"Don't be so hard on Battler, he must be nervous to return to the island and see everyone after so long,"

The one with the semi-friendly comment was Eva Ushiromiya. Battler's aunt, she is Kinzo's second child, a couple years younger than Krauss. Her ginger, reddish brown, hair done in a bun, she was known for making curt, double-handed statements that could just as easily be thought of as insults as they were compliments. She didn't get along well with her siblings, though that could be said to be universal in this family. But she could play the part of a dutiful, if not conciliatory, daughter so long as it didn't bring insult or shame to her or the Ushiromiya name.

Just behind Eva was her husband Hideyoshi. A somewhat portly man, he has black hair and brown eyes. He carries the last name Ushiromiya for his wife's sake. So that she wouldn't lose her place in the family's line of succession by marrying out of the family, she convinced her father to adopt him into the family after her marriage to him. Hideyoshi carries on a relatively successful restaurant chain he himself built up from scratch. He was probably one of the few who would be at this gathering that wouldn't be getting into an argument with anybody, due to his jovial nature.

Beside Hideyoshi was his and Eva's son, George. The eldest of Battler's generation, he was already done with college. For the moment, he was working as his father's apprentice. But it was apparent that he was soon to be striking out on his own business venture. Sociable, he has often played peacemaker in situations involving the cousins, but as he has grown older has found himself occasionally doing the same with his parents, aunts, and uncles at these meetings.

"It really is good to see you again, Battler. Maria had been looking forward to seeing you too,"

This person speaking is Rosa Ushiromiya. The youngest of Kinzo's children, she likely hated these meetings the most, with the exception of those who managed to find a means of not coming in the past. She felt she had no place at these meetings since her position in the family meant she had little to no say. What's more she has always been bullied by her elder siblings. Even after growing up things didn't change significantly. In some ways things became more difficult, particularly after her husband walked out on her and left her with their young daughter. As such she never had a strong relationship with them to begin with. The most she hopes for right now is that she is treated fairly in the discussions that are to come, though she held little real hope for that.

The Maria Rosa mentioned is her nine-year-old daughter, Maria Ushiromiya. She was only about three when she last met Battler, so it's no surprise that for both this might as well have been their first time meeting. With her mother always so busy with work, and no father, Maria often found herself at home alone to entertain herself. Thus, by a somewhat odd manifestation of circumstances, she is relatively adept at taking care of herself, but also apt at behaving and speaking as though she is a few years younger than she actually is. This is a source of tension between her and her mother who is often either too exhausted or too embarrassed to deal with Maria when she gets like this.

"Make sure you properly greet everyone, Battler. They've all missed you dearly,"

"R-right, mom," Battler chuckled a little.

Battler's mother, Anzu Rosencraft, was the last to disembark from the boat with her husband Rudolf Ushiromiya. Although Battler's last name is Ushiromiya, and Anzu is his mother, married to Rudolf, she herself does not officially take the name Ushiromiya, for various reasons. Those reasons, and more, infuriate Kinzo's children, save Rudolf of course. Battler knew his mother to be a calm, quiet, reserved, and loving person. In fact, he thought her to be too kind much of the time – almost to a suffocating degree.

In the last few years when he wasn't here it was because he ran off to live with his aunt on his mother's side, her non-identical twin, Rini. As far as Battler knew his mother never complained, but called frequently to check to see that he was doing alright. It actually made him about as angry as the event that led to his running away in the first place. Rudolf hated to hear the bad talk about his mother behind her back, but he had to admit that her aloofness to others did make her seem like she was being condescending and looking down on people.

Rudolf is the second of Kinzo's sons, Kinzo's third child. Always well-groomed with his black hair slicked back, and a confident smile on his face, he is a genuinely clever man. However, his confidence often comes across as smugness. To make matters worse he is widely considered to be a womanizer since he was a young man in his teens. Even now he can often be seen chatting up other women when his wife isn't around. Despite a previous falling out between father and son, the two do now at least seem to get along alright.

"Welcome everyone. We are pleased that you made it safe and sound,"

A young woman with short brown hair wearing a maid's uniform had come down the stairs from the garden to greet everyone. She was Shannon, one of the mansion's maids and the elder sister to Kanon. Friendly and affable she is often caught in between her desire to get along with others and her consciousness of herself as only a servant of the household. While the cousins of the household usually prompt her to forget the servant/master stuff and hang around with them, Kinzo's children and the other staff, particularly her little brother, tend to remind her that she should be as furniture – there to be used or admired when needed but otherwise unnoticed.

"Oh, Shannon," Battler said, eyeing over Shannon with a faux detective's mannerisms. "I think you're grown the most since the last time we met,"

"B-Battler," she replied breathlessly, blushing a bit to his innuendo.

After a little bit of chiding from Jessica, the kids followed the adults up to the garden. It was an expansive rose garden, with flowers in every shade. Battler could remember this place. He was a little surprised that the one in his memories was not any larger than the one here in the moment. He was sure that he would come here and think back on it being a smaller place now compared to then. It soon dawned on him that, despite how long ago it felt since he was last here, he was twelve at that time – long past the age where you should be making such errors of memory.

As they walked he tried to chat up his cousins. More than not seeing them in years, he hadn't spoken with them either. These annual family conferences were meant to, on the surface, be a way for everyone to get together for a few days and share tales about their exploits over the last year. In reality it was a way for Kinzo's children to keep tabs on their father's estate.

As the eldest child, Krauss had been appointed to overseeing Kinzo's finances. What remained at issue, however, were the matter of the inheritance and the rumors of Kinzo having a large stash of gold. For the younger siblings there was a definite need to ensure that Krauss didn't do as he pleased with their father's fortune, particularly the gold. Securing the inheritance also would determine control of the Ushiromiya estate and all that entails. These conferences were their battleground over these two issues.

With the adults retiring to the parlor in the main house to chat, the youngsters were led to the guest house where they would be staying. Along the way Battler started to hear some stories from the others. Having noticed a large portrait in the main hall of the main house he had found himself remembering various details of the island and the house as he walked about, but that portrait didn't register in his memory, let alone the person in it.

"Oh, you mean the picture of Beatrice," Jessica posited.

"Beatrice?" Battler asked. "Who's that?"

"You haven't heard of Beatrice?" George asked, only a little surprised. "Supposedly she's a witch that lives in the forest on this island,"

"Beatrice is the master of the island at night," Shannon added.

"Au, Beatrice is a great witch," Maria enthusiastically affirmed. "Beatrice can do anything with her magic!"

"Are you guys serious? A witch?" Battler asked, thinking they were all trying to get one over on him.

"You don't believe in witches, Battler?" Jessica teased, wriggling her fingers as if trying to creep him out.

"C-Come on, that's just some story grandpa made up, right?" Battler stammered a bit at the start of his reply, actually a little crept out by the way Jessica managed to move her fingers.

"Well, it is true that he's the one who started most of the stories about her. But, she's definitely a person who exists since he went as far as to commission a portrait of her hung in the house," George assessed.

"Are you saying grandfather really had allowed a woman named Beatrice to live on this island?" Battler questioned, a bit shocked.

"At the very least it's a story even our parents know, so it's not like it's a new story or anything," Jessica enlightened. "Apparently there's another mansion in the forest where the witch lives,"

"You've all gotta be kidding. There's no way witches and magic exist," Battler dismissed.

"Au, it's true! Beatrice exists!" Maria forcefully countered.

"Battler," Jessica sternly but quietly lectured. "She still believes in that stuff. Can't you play along at all?"

"It's alright, Maria. He was just kidding," George tried to reassure Maria and quiet her impending tantrum.

"R-right, no, I didn't mean that she doesn't exist… just that I don't think that's the whole story,"

"Really?" Maria questioned, firmly suspicious of his excuse.

"Y-yeah, like… the real Beatrice probably walks around a lot during the day, not just hiding about at night, since she's so powerful,"

"Au, that's because only people who believe in magic can see her," Maria informed, her demeanor brightening up now.

The children continued to chat about other things while playing with Maria on the beach. If the weather reports were accurate, the weather wouldn't be all that great for outdoor activities the next couple of days, so it was better to enjoy the outdoors now sine there wouldn't be a chance to later.

Meanwhile their parents were in that parlor on the main floor of the house. There was a certain tension in the room, though it was clearly not showing on Anzu or Rudolf. But Anzu was undoubtedly the source of it. She had the typical posture of a regal queen; sitting up, back straight, hands neatly folded in her lap, her head and upper body moving only slightly with graceful ease as she redirected her attention about the room. Yet with this rather stiff posture she had a soft smile that made it seem as though she were as relaxed as could be. Contrast this with the sisters of Rudolf, Eva and Rosa, and his brother Kauss and his wife Natsuhi. They talked with each other, but it was clear that beneath the casual demeanor they were tense.

Krauss is Kinzo's eldest child. He, for all intents and purposes, is the current head of the Ushiromiya family, though that position is somewhat tenuous with Kinzo himself still alive and the headship having yet been officially surrendered. Even so, Krauss was now responsible for managing his father's funds, which often led to his siblings suspecting him of embezzlement. As the eldest he was often quite harsh on the younger siblings growing up and tried to emulate his father. The headship had been mostly assumed his if not for certain later situations. Every year at the family conference he is forced to defend his stewardship of the family's finances, reiterate a vow to equitably split their father's inheritance, all while Kinzo keeps himself locked in his room most of the time.

Krauss' wife, Natsuhi, is from a more meager family relative to the Ushiromiyas'. As Krauss' wife and Jessica's mother she sees her duty as helping Krauss in whatever he does and in preparing Jessica to one day assume the headship after Krauss. Moreover, she takes a very defensive stance when it comes to the Ushiromiya family at all. She does not tolerate insults to the family name, and pushes the island staff to maintain the residence in perfection. She even dislikes talk about the Beatrice story since one of the rumors is that Beatrice was a mistress of Kinzo's, which she considers to be an insult as well. She tends to butt heads with Eva and Rosa, Eva in particular, who looks down on her for being married to Krauss and for not being able to wear the family's symbol, the golden one-winged eagle.

Much of the tensions, you could say, were Anzu's fault. Before Anzu's jointure with Rudolf, Krauss was the oldest had the most power in the family, followed by Eva. Furthermore, Eva's son George was the eldest of Kinzo's grandchildren. This gave Eva considerable authority because tradition holds that he is currently of sufficient age where he could be considered for the next headship of the Ushiromiya family over Krauss.

But Anzu's entry into the family makes that regular pattern somewhat more complex. As a member of the more powerful Rosencraft family, it is something of a miracle the Ushiromiya family has not already been absorbed into the Rosencraft family. In fact, from the moment Anzu married Rudolf, he was thought to have been moved to top candidate for the headship. Anzu herself will live for generations long after the next head is chosen, likely old enough to at least meet the great grandchild's great grandchild of the next head. Thus, for the long-term preservation of the family, allowing Rudolf to be the next head, or more directly their son Battler, would be the best route. Obviously, there was little chance of the ones looking to benefit from the headship being too happy about that.

Rosa, being the youngest of Kinzo's children, never really expected to be on the list for headship ahead of her siblings. While this was always clear, she felt a sense of disappointment in herself every time they would have meetings like this one. She was certainly still entitled to a portion of the inheritance which she planned to use to build up her design company, but the contest for the headship frustrated her. What particularly annoyed her was always walking on eggshells when Anzu was around. The way she saw it, her small chance at attaining the headship vanished when Anzu showed up. Rosa sometimes vented these frustrations in a violent way on her daughter Maria. It wasn't a fully conscious act, and she would spoil Maria rotten in attempt to make up for it.

Much of these issues held no meaning in reality to the children. The eldest, George, was very studious. Through his mother Eva's tutelage, he would be a fine fit as the future head. But he held little interest in it. Jessica was the second oldest.

If George was indifferent towards the prospect of being the next head, Jessica could flatly be counted as hating it. As the child of the eldest child, she'd lived her entire life on Rokkenjima Island. She'd come to hate the island and, though would never say as much to her parents, would be only happy enough if she weren't chosen as the next head. She had a sense that her father was unhappy with her mother for not getting pregnant before Eva, and that her mother was disappointed in her for not being born before George.

There was then Battler and Ange. Finally, was Maria. The youngest at nine, Maria was the farthest removed from these problems and her understanding of them was questionable. She was easily excited about everything to do with the island, and enamored by the stories of hidden treasures and witches. If there was any desire at all for her in all this, it was likely to spend her days on this island and immerse herself in its mysteries.

"Dinner will be ready in 90 minutes," Genji announced from the doorway to the parlor.

"Thank you, Genji," Natsuhi replied.

Genji bowed and left. The head of the mansion's servants, he has served the family the longest of anyone else. He is one of only three people who regularly see Kinzo daily, sometimes serving as Kinzo's opponent in a game of chess. Very professional in appearance and demeanor it can sometimes be hard to imagine him ever living life not as a butler. He never talks about himself to the point most likely don't even know if he even has any family of his own.

"Why don't we get to our real business then?" Eva proposed.

"I suppose it is time we begin the serious talks," Krauss agreed, placing his mug on the table. Anzu stood up at the same time, leaning over to kiss Rudolf on his cheek.

"What's wrong, Anzu? Not feeling well?" Eva asked with a slight mocking tone.

"No, I feel fine. Thank you for your concern, sister Eva. I just don't have an interest in these types of discussions. They wear on me, so I'll just excuse myself now. I'll see you all at dinner," Anzu smiled and left the room.

"Who does she think she is?" Eva jeered in disgust.

"It's disgusting the way she walks about as if we're supposed to bow to her," Rosa equally criticized.

"I would remind you that's my wife," Rudolf passively defended.

"How could we forget," Eva scoffed.

"Now, now, everyone, let's not argue like this," Hideyoshi said jovially. "She's not even here to speak for herself. Besides, weren't we going to talk business?"

"Indeed," Krauss said firmly. "So then, where should we begin?"

While those discussions were on their way, Anzu was smiling pleasantly as she walked down the hallways of the mansion. She'd only been to the mansion on a couple other occasions, not since she came with Battler last six years ago when Ange was ten. She'd described it to her husband as being both a beautiful and depressing place. Somewhat a recluse by nature, she enjoyed the idea of living out on an island secluded from the rest of the world, but at the same time thought that it would be a very boring and depressing thing to have to travel for hours by boat to reach the next nearest sign of civilization.

What's more, Kinzo's behavior as of the last several years only made the small island feel drearier. She'd heard the others often say that he could one day drop dead in his study and no one would know because he was always locking himself in there, refusing to see or talk to anyone.

Anzu was walking past the main foyer when she stopped. There was a large portrait hanging on the wall there with an engraved gold placard beneath it. In the portrait was a woman with green hair and hazel/yellow eyes. She looked to be a courtesan or something of the sort, wearing a red dress and holding a closed fan, smiling like a noblewoman. Shannon happened to be walking by at that moment, having just returned from the guest house with Battler and the others, and stopped to serve Anzu.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Anzu. Is there anything I can do for you?" Shannon asked as courteously as possible.

"You're Shannon, correct?" Anzu asked without looking away from the portrait.

"Yes ma'am. It is an honor that you already remember my name,"

"I don't recall this portrait being here when I last visited this mansion,"

"Yes, well, Master Kinzo commissioned the portrait and had it placed here about one year ago now,"

"I see,"

"It is a portrait of the master of this island, Beatrice,"

"Master of the island?"

"Yes, that is what we call her. According to Master Kinzo, Lady Beatrice rules over Rokkenjima Island, and has done so since before the Ushiromiya family has lived here. It is said that while Master Kinzo rules this island during the day, Lady Beatrice is free to do as she pleases during the night. At night Lady Beatrice can be heard roaming the halls of the mansion, though she rarely is seen by anyone. She may even play tricks on those who aren't careful," she repeated the details as discussed with the cousins.

"Is that so?" Anzu remarked with a light chuckle. "What of this inscription?"

"That is known as the Witch's Epitaph. Lady Beatrice died in order to become a witch and left behind that riddle. Should anyone be able to solve the riddle, she will open the gate to the Golden Land and grant any wish to that person,"

"You shouldn't tell mom such wild stories," Battler said as he was approaching.

"Battler," Anzu said with a happy sigh. She walked over to meet him halfway, placing her hand along his cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, mom, don't worry so much," he laughed as he hugged her. "It's not like I've gone anywhere,"

"A mother can't help but worry about her child, even if there's no reason to. You have no idea how worried I am about your sister. I wish she could have come with us,"

"I'm sure she's fine. She's only staying at school over the weekend,"

"Hey, did you know about this story about Beatrice?"

"I've heard a little about it from everyone a little earlier. I think she said gramps has a smaller portrait like this one in his study,"

"Ho, ho, I see you're speaking of Lady Beatrice," Kumasawa chuckled as she slowly came down stairs. "I see Lady Anzu has an interest in her,"

Kumasawa is a rather old woman who also works as a servant in this mansion. Despite her advanced age she does plenty of work around the mansion. Like Genji she's worked on the island for some time and likely knows more details than almost anyone else about what goes on here.

"You could just say I'm curious," Anzu said with a light giggle and wide smile. "Perhaps there is a good story in it that I can take back to Angelina,"

"She's not a little kid you know, mom," Battler criticized. "She shouldn't spend so much time with nonsense like witches that don't exist,"

"Oh dear, what am I to do, my only son has become so stoic? You're not going to find a good wife if you stay that way, sweetie," she teased in a melodramatic way.

"Perhaps you would rather hear a more grown-up tale of Lady Beatrice?" Kumasawa asked.

"Granny, I don't think it would be a good idea," Shannon forewarned with some real concern.

"Let her satisfy mom's curiosity," Battler dismissed out of hand. "What I really came for was to get some snacks,"

"No, no, not now. I hear dinner will be ready soon, so you will all have to wait until then. No spoiling your appetite before the meal that everyone here worked so hard to make," Anzu lightly scolded. "Anyway, perhaps you can tell me another time, Kumasawa. I'd like to take a little rest before dinner. I'll see you later Battler,"

"Yeah, see ya, mom," he waved as she headed up stairs.

"You have a lovely mother, Battler," Kumasawa complimented.

"Y-yeah," he replied embarrassed and not sure how to answer back. "A-Anyway, Shannon, why don't you come hang out with us again later?"

"I… I couldn't. I'm a servant of the mansion. For me to be…" Shannon responded, flustered.

"Go on, Shannon. A young thing like you should have a little fun once in a while. The old folks will finish up after dinner. Just come back a little later," Kumasawa urged her on.

"B-but…"

"Relax, we're inviting you," Battler pressured further.

"Alright," Shannon accepted hesitantly, though smiling.

For about the next hour and ten minutes, Battler, Jessica, and George were in the guest house. They were playing card games while sharing trite stories about their lives over the past decade or so, until Kannon came to fetch everyone for dinner. Kannon led the way, despite Battler confidently heading off in the wrong direction. Looking to tease and taunt Jessica he joked about how dark it had gotten and how the rain had just begun to fall outside, and whether Beatrice would show up to get them. Battler's joke fell flat on delivery.

Already in the dining hall were the adults, pretty much husbands talking to wives and vice versa – it was fairly plain to see that the discussions about the inheritance had not gone the way anyone wanted and tempers were slightly flared. They hadn't even spent the entire hour plus before dinner discussing it, breaking off about forty-five minutes into their discussions to spend the remaining half an hour or so away from each other.

Noticeably absent immediately was Kinzo. As usual it seemed he was going to remain holdup in his private study and refuse to join the family even for dinner. It'd been a chore to get him out of his study for any reason at all, to the point they were basically talking to him only through his physician, Dr. Nanjo. Anzu had once privately suggested to Rudolf that it would be best to have Kinzo committed to a hospital so he could receive proper treatment and care, but he doubted the ability to get the other siblings to go along with such an idea. He especially knew their reluctance would grow at the moment they heard that Anzu was the one who made the suggestion, even though Natsuhi made a similar suggestion to Krauss who provided a similar response.

However, as dinner time drew close, it was Battler who made a critical realization which he brought to the attention of Rosa.

"Aunt Rosa, have you seen Maria?"

"Maria? She's not with you?" she asked in a sudden fright.

"N-no, we thought that she was with you," Jessica responded with all due concern.

"Where's Maria?" Rosa asked in a panic.

"Alright, let's stay calm," Rudolf tried to caution. "She can't be too far away. Where was she seen last?"

"The last I remember, she was in the garden looking for that damaged flower," George spoke up.

"Alright, everyone grab an umbrella," Krauss commanded. "We'll split up search inside and outside for her,"

Everyone rushed to action to search for Maria. Most of the mansion staff stayed inside to look for her, while Genji led the Ushiromiyas outside into the rain. They spread out and started searching everywhere for her, calling her name. The same worry was on everyone's mind; Maria may have wandered off somewhere in this storm and gotten lost. With much of the island covered by thick forest, even as small as the island was, it would likely take days to find her if she wandered around in there.

As Battler was searching with George, they came across a worn, cobblestone, path. It looked to be very old due to the amount of overgrowth. In fact, after what looked like ten feet or so, it looked to be impassible due to a fallen tree and crisscrossing branches. Battler had to admit to himself that it looked like one of those places he would have went exploring as a child out of pure curiosity. Just as him and George were about to go in to take a look around, they could hear Anzu calling for everyone, apparently having found Maria.

Maria was standing in place, looking at the rosebush in front of her. She seemed to be completely alright as her mother dropped her umbrella and examined her to be sure. Maria seemed completely content. Moreover, she was totally dry, holding a golden-yellow umbrella.

Everyone quickly gathered back together and returned to the mansion as the rain began to pick up. Rosa only had to lightly dry off as she was only briefly exposed to the rain while checking Maria. Asking Maria why she stayed outside the entire time yielded the kind of response you'd expect from a child, especially Maria; she was simply doing what she was told. She was more interested, however, in telling them about how she found the flower and how it was "fixed".

Once everyone calmed back down, they returned to the dining hall and sat down to dinner. Rosa recalled that Maria had been holding an umbrella. She asked Maria where she got it from, to which Maria answered that Beatrice had given the umbrella to her. Not immediately recognizing the name, Rosa asked everyone else, prefacing her question by stating she only wanted to thank them for giving the umbrella to Maria. However, each individual, every member of the family and every servant, routinely denied having been even outside since the time before when they were all together outside.

Indeed, up until about half an hour before it was realized Maria was missing, the adults had all been together in the parlor later returning to their own rooms before being called out by Kannon, Shannon and Genji. Kannon himself had confirmed seeing the children, except Maria of course, in the guest house. As usual, Dr. Nanjo was with Kinzo in his study. As for the rest of the staff – Godha, Genji, and Kumasawa – they'd been preparing things for dinner.

Rosa lightly pushed once more to try to get someone to take credit for the good deed. However, as was noted, anyone who knew Maria was outside while it was raining would have brought her back inside before thinking to simply give her an umbrella.

Dinner went forward without any further discussion of the matter, figuring that Maria would simply tell the actual truth when she was ready. Discussion at the table was mostly initialized by the proud parents, egging their children on to share the stories of their highest accomplishments over the past year plus. It was really a means for them to try and outdo each other through the accomplishments of their children, a game mostly played only by Eva and Natsuhi in their ongoing civil war. The main topic, however, was Kinzo's continued reclusion. After dinner, as Shannon and Kannon were clearing the table, Maria spoke up.

"Dinner's over right, mama," Maria asked energetically.

"Y-yes," Rosa answered back with a warm smile as she stroked her daughter's hair. She clearly was feeling some guilt for what happened earlier.

"Beatrice told me not to open this letter until after dinner," Maria said as she went to the oversized handbag she carried around with her everywhere and retrieved an envelope. It had gold bordering and a wax seal on the back. There was no address or writing of any sort on the envelope, though the Ushiromiya family crest was on the front.

"Beatrice?" Rosa asked, surprised that Maria was still going on about someone she didn't know.

"Au au, Beatrice gave me this letter and told me to wait until after dinner to show everyone, after she gave me my umbrella. Beatrice fixed the flower too," Maria stated proudly.

"Let me see that," Rosa said as she took the letter from Maria. She looked over the envelope before looking up at everyone seated at the table. "Did any of you give this letter to Maria?" she asked fervently, rising from her chair. The cause for concern was obvious as a continued "no" like in the issue of the umbrella would mean a stranger was on the island with them.

"It has to be a fake," Krauss asserted. "She must have found that lying about somewhere,"

"Au au, Beatrice gave it to me," Maria defended, plainly unhappy to be doubted.

"Be quiet, Maria," Rosa told her. "This isn't funny anymore," she protested.

"Aunt Rosa, perhaps if you could open the letter to see who signed it," George suggested, trying to diffuse the tense room.

"Allow me, madam. I would prefer to be as careful as possible," Genji offered, alluding to the possibility that there was some kind of poisonous substance in the letter.

As the head butler of the mansion for several years, Genji had numerous experiences with packages and letters sent to the Ushiromiya's with questionable contents. In virtually every case it was nothing but a faux threat, but this was a part of his job. Being that this was only a regular sized envelope, the only real threat was some kind of foreign powder or something of the sort. He accepted the letter from Rosa and walked a few steps from the table. He broke the wax seal and opened the envelope, removing the letter. There was no foreign substance it seemed in the envelope or on the letter itself as Genji inspected it.

"Well?" Natsuhi questioned anxiously.

"It seems to be an ordinary letter, madam," he answered. There was a collective sigh of relief. "Would you like that I read it,"

"Why not, this could be a good joke," Rudolf dismissed as he took a swig of wine from his glass.

"Go ahead, Genji," Eva urged him to read.

"As you wish;

' _Welcome to Rokkenjima Island Ushiromiya family,_

 _I am the witch who rules over this island, Beatrice._

 _As master of this island, I entered into a contract with Kinzo Ushiromiya. The terms of the contract afforded to him temporary ownership of this island as well as a wealth of gold totaling approximately one ton. Under our contract, at the time of his death the entirety of the loan is to be repaid, in addition to everything of the Ushiromiya family."_

"What!?" several of the adults stated, leaping up from the table.

"This jokester is really bold to make such a ridiculous claim," Hideyoshi stated with a laugh, though the wide-eyed look he had said he hardly thought it was a laughing matter.

"A witch? What kind of nonsense is that? Who would believe such a farce?" Krauss scoffed.

"It would seem someone is trying to have a bit of fun with us," Eva chuckled.

"What does the rest of the letter say, Mr. Genji," Anzu asked.

' _In hearing this I am sure everyone must be confused, if not appalled at Kinzo's actions. However, Kinzo did have a special clause to our contract. This clause states that should my epitaph be solved, the one who solves it will be afforded the return of all payment that I have collected in accordance to our contract, as well as my vow to never pursue the loan thereafter._

' _As of this moment, I have already begun the collection of what is owed to me. If the location of the hidden gold is not discovered within two days, the special clause is rendered ineffectual, and the entirety of the payment shall be collected without prejudice. If the details of what is written here are doubted, then I encourage that the wax seal be inspected to show that it indeed holds the imprint of the One-Winged Eagle Ring. Should further evidence be required, then within Kinzo's study can be found proof of the collection of the first payment as well as the original contract._

 _I earnestly hope for each and every person's best efforts in the endeavor and pray for your success. I look forward to meeting everyone at a later time._

"It is signed, Beatrice the Golden," Genji stated, to conclude the reading.

"Let me see that," Krauss protested as he walked over to Genji and grabbed away the envelope. He folded back down the tab and looked at the wax seal. A look of terror overcame him.

"Krauss," Natsuhi questioned, tentative to hear the answer. "What is it?"

"It's nothing. It doesn't mean anything. But I'll confirm it with my own eyes just to put this farce to rest,"

Kinzo's four children rushed away from the table to hopefully gain access to their father's study, their spouses following behind them and the children following behind them as well. As they crossed by the central foyer area on their way to the stairs a lightning strike startled them, freezing them in place at the base of the stairs. The lights blinked out for a moment, flickering a couple times before full light was restored. They took a moment and looked back at the portrait that hung there on the wall, the portrait of the infamous witch Beatrice and her epitaph engraved below it.

The family marched down the hall to Kinzo's study. There was immediately something off. The door to the study was slightly ajar. It was attention grabbing since there was no reason for it. The reason it was so easy for Kinzo to remain out of sight all the time was because his study was like a single bedroom apartment. There was a small kitchen, an attached bedroom, and a bathroom. The walls of this study were reinforced. It was a safe room that worked like a venerable vault, an enclosed home of itself. There was only a single key that allowed entry to the room, and an electronic lock was in place that could seal the door for a period of no less than twelve hours in an emergency.

Noting this clearly unusual circumstance, Genji moved to the front, urging the children to stay back as he entered. Krauss, Eva, Rudolf and Rosa followed Genji into the room. They were immediately taken aback by the sight of their father slumped forward over his desk. Genji walked over to him, the initial impression, perhaps the hope, being that he had fallen asleep at his desk. But when Genji touched him, he seemed to realize right away Kinzo wasn't sleeping he leaned Kinzo upright in the chair, everyone reacting in horror when he did so. Kinzo's chest looked to have been ripped open by a beast.

The first reaction was to keep the children from entering the room, Anzu, Natsuhi and Hideyoshi putting themselves in between the children and the room, trying to corral them further back towards the stairs.

"This is horrid," Rosa said, retching as she held her hand over her mouth.

"Father," Rudolf whispered out in a frustrated tone.

"Genji, call the police right away. We'll leave this room immediately and wait for them to arrive," Krauss ordered taking charge.

"You want to leave father like this?" Eva asked stunned.

"We have no choice," he answered back, obviously frustrated. "If we do any more here it will make finding the killer that much more difficult. Besides, if there is an intruder on the island then we have to worry about protecting ourselves for now,"

"Krauss is right," Rudolf supported. "Let's leave this for the police,"

"Sir, the phone appears to be dead. I suspect the line has either been cut or that the storm has damaged the line," Genji announced.

"Doesn't anyone have a cell phone?" Krauss demanded.

"I-I have one," Rosa spoke up, pulling hers from her pocket. She tried to dial the police, but the look on her face said that it was not good news. "Th-there's no signal…"

"Damn it all! Could they have gotten to the signal antenna too," Krauss questioned rhetorically.

"We shouldn't stay here either way," Rudolf noted. "Let's get out of here,"

They left the room and rejoined the others, closing the door to the study behind them. They all went back downstairs and gathered everyone in one of the parlors next to the dining hall and kitchen where they conferred to the others that Kinzo was dead. The next move was to figure out how to respond.

"What do we do? There's a killer loose somewhere in the mansion," Natsuhi asked, terrified.

"Something isn't right," Battler noted quietly, but with the silence in the room, his voice travelled easily.

"What're you saying," George asked.

"It's just that something doesn't feel right. We only barely made it here ahead of the storm, so there shouldn't be any way another boat made it after us. That would mean the killer was already on the island, but there was no boat at the docks when we arrived, or adrift by the beach, and there's nothing but cliff face on all other sides of the island. That would mean that there was no way for someone to be here ahead of us,"

"It seems Battler thinks of himself as a detective," Eva teased a bit. "But he is right. Aside from that is the fact that father wouldn't open the door even for us, so it's very suspicious to think that he would for anyone else,"

"Genji, are you certain there was no other way to enter father's study?" Natsuhi asked.

"I can only say that I have never known of another means of access to the study, and that no other one is plainly visible," he stated.

"What do we do now? Do we just sit here all night, try to leave in the morning?" Anzu half suggested.

"I would like to take Kannon with me to inspect the mansion. It would be best to find out how secure the remainder of the mansion is," Genji suggested.

"If you suspect that you come upon anyone, come back right away; there's no need to take any risks right now," Krauss told him.

"It's probably the same person who wrote that note," Eva suggested aloud after Genji and Kanon left.

"Dr. Nanjo, was there anything that father was particularly worried about recently. You saw him every day," Eva asked.

"No, nothing more than was normal," he answered.

"What are you getting at?" Krauss asked.

"If what young Battler says is correct, then the note and the murder would likely be by the same person, no? Then it would be perfect sense to think that they have killed father. What better way to prevent a challenge to their game in that letter and take the inheritance," Eva concluded.

"I don't think it's so simple," Anzu refuted, upsetting Eva a bit.

"Battler must get his detective skills from you then," Eva chuckled.

"I don't think my interest in mysteries is as great as Battler's, but I would expect that killing Kinzo would be a better plan if not for the letter. The note was clearly written before Kinzo was killed, and directed us to Kinzo's study. If all a killer wanted was the inheritance, they could only need to state that it was theirs in the letter and kill Kinzo. Adding the game with that epitaph doesn't do anything to help them, it only brings attention towards them," Anzu confidently explained.

"So then, are you saying the letter and the fact that father was killed aren't related?" Eva questioned.

"No, only that I don't think that the motive is so simple as to say it has anything to do with the inheritance. As you all have said, you didn't even believe the story about the gold," Anzu responded. "The person who wrote the note likely wouldn't want to be found if they are waiting to claim the gold and inheritance, so there wouldn't be any reason to bring attention to themselves by sending us to find Kinzo murdered,"

"So then you're saying there's a killer _and_ someone trying to extort the family fortune?" Hideyoshi asked.

"That's one possibility, or it could be that this has nothing to do with the Ushiromiya inheritance at all," Anzu added.

"Can't you be a little more respectful of father?" Natsuhi snapped at Anzu. "You've been talking about him like he was nothing,"

"I apologize; I'm only trying to state what I'm thinking in as rationale and balanced a way possible. I think it will be helpful to figure out who it is that is responsible since we will have to stay here in the mansion for a couple nights,"

"A couple nights?" Jessica asked in frightful shock.

"That is true," George admitted, having realized himself when Anzu said it. "The storm isn't supposed to end until sometime tomorrow night. Even then, it will likely be already late, so we wouldn't be able to leave until the following morning,"

"Then the police…" Rosa gasped.

"They wouldn't be able to head out here even if we could reach them," Krauss completed the thought.

"It's about eight o'clock, so we have to stay here for another 36 hours?" Battler asked in disbelief.

"Don't panic, sweetie," Anzu reassured, placing her hand on her son's head. "We'll be safe as long as we're together,"


End file.
